


The Mermaid

by jellyfitzjelly



Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: M/M, Mermaids, Supernatural Elements, accidental adoption of a supernatural creature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29380752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyfitzjelly/pseuds/jellyfitzjelly
Summary: At first Edward thought it was a girl. [...] The shrill it emitted drove that explanation out of Little’s mind.Edward and Tom become the surrogate parents of a very strange arctic creature.
Relationships: Thomas Jopson/Edward Little
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jellyfitzjelly) and [Tumblr](https://jellyfitzjelly.tumblr.com/) under the same username. Come say hi!

At first Edward thought it was a girl. The possibility immediately looked absurd to him. They were in the middle of nowhere (names were but vague and fleeting things in this cold barren land where everything looked like the next). A hidden passenger was out of question too. Edward knew the ship like the back of his hand. There was no way someone could have stayed hidden for so long.

As he made his way toward the dark vision, perched on the railing of the frozen deck as the sun slowly began to rise, he found the figure was not actually human at all. It was a _fish._ Or at least it looked partially like one. The humanoid had a scaled skin that caught the bleak light, shining like a diamond under the sun. Ears were fins looking like bat wings; the mouth a range of cutting teeth; the eyes were globulous, shiny black pearls; the hands were palmed with claws; the feet were long and also palmed. What cascaded upon its shoulders looked like hair. It had breasts and the face looked human enough you could think one of the boys had gone mad and decided to disguise himself.

The shrill it emitted drove that explanation out of Little’s mind.

Terror caught up with him. Was the creature related to the one hunting them? Was it going to jump on him and tear out his throat? The creature let out some kind of gurgle and flailed. Edward was frozen by fear.

Then, with no more ceremony, it turned round and jumped. Little stayed there, struck dumb for what felt an eternity before he scrambled to the railing and tried to see if the creature was somewhere, but it had disappeared.

“Edward?” whispered gently Jopson against his shoulder.

Little hummed questioningly, pulled out from his reverie. He tightened his embrace around his lover, despite the fact his bed was so narrow they barely fit already.

“Are you alright?”

“Thomas…do you think I’m going mad?”

His lover blinked, unsettled by the question. True, Edward had seemed preoccupied and distracted this week, but he had never imagined he was entertaining such dark thoughts.

“No, of course not! What on Earth would make you think that, my love?”

Little swallowed thickly. He had not told a living soul about his strange encounter a week ago. Who would believe such a thing?

“Edward, what’s going on?”

“I- I saw…. I saw something last week. When I was up on the deck to watch the sunrise. There- There was something.”

Jopson cradled his face gently, petting him soothingly.

“You’re exhausted. Everyone is. It’s normal. Sometimes you…imagine things when you lack too much sleep. It’s nothing, Edward. You are _not_ going mad, I promise.”

Little wanted so much to tell him it looked _real_ , so real he smelled saltwater and fish when he approached the vision, that the scales blinded him with the sunlight reflected on them, that the fins were dripping water on the wooden deck. It looked so real he didn’t know if he had been dreaming or not. But instead he simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Thomas smiled tenderly.

“How about we go watch the sunrise together since we’re already up?”

Edward felt dread creep inside him but pushed it aside. His lover was right. This man-fish was nothing more than a product of his sleep deprived mind. When he’d get on the deck with his man, nothing would wait for them but the sun.

And indeed he was right.

Little forgot about the incident altogether as the days passed. Jopson and he had taken up the habit of watching the sunrise together on deck whenever they could. Edward felt a little silly to be so happy each time he got to see the sun with Thomas. They weren’t lovesick teenagers anymore. His lover always told him it was good to be romantic. It was better than being devoured by the icy melancholy surrounding them.

“Didn’t know you were such a poet,” he had teased him.

“Maybe I have finally found my true calling,” had shrugged Thomas, eyes full of mischief.

Edward, throwing caution to the wind, had kissed him and dragged him downstairs for more kisses. This morning, though, the two men were less inclined to banter. McDonald and Goodsir had warned the captain many cans were spoiled, although they couldn’t tell the extend of the catastrophe. It could mean they would not have enough food to survive another cold summer, much less another winter. That was why Edward had insisted they see the sunrise together this morning. To lift their spirits. To push back the fear. Thomas put his head on his shoulder and it worked.

A thud behind them made the steward turn.

The scream got caught in his throat. A scaled creature was staggering toward them with a fish in its mouth. Instinct kicking in, Edward gripped his lover and pulled him behind him, facing the monster with nothing but his fists. It stopped ten meters away from them and blinked, head cocked as if considering them. It emitted a high-pitched gurgle and let the fish fall from its mouth. The two men did not dare move. The creature let out another sound as it nodded to the fish. When it started advancing toward them again, Little growled menacingly. To his surprise, the creature cowered with a whine.

“Wait,” suddenly whispered Jopson, “I think- I think she’s trying to communicate.”

“What?!”

“I think she wants to give us that fish.”

“Are you serious-“

But Thomas was already approaching slowly the creature, hands up in a peaceful gesture. The monster blinked, staring at him as he carefully crouched down to make eye contact.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” he cooed gently.

It gave a questioning noise in response.

“Is this for us?” continued Jopson in the same tone as he pointed the fish before him. “You want to give it to us?”

The creature emitted a gurgle as he took the fish. Little watched in horror as it staggered up to him, bringing its mouth full of sharp teeth near Thomas’s face…

…before letting out a tongue looking like a slimy tentacle to lick his cheek.

Jopson chuckled shakily, relief flooding him. The creature seemed pleased and licked his cheek again.

“Good girl,” he praised before petting its head.

To Edward’s astonishment, it leaned into his lover’s hand with a pleased noise, not unlike a dog. Jopson turned to him with a dimpled smile.

“See? She just wants to communicate.”

“ _She?”_ was all Little could utter.

Was he dreaming? Was he actually in his bed struck down by fever? A monster popped out of nowhere three minutes ago and _Thomas was petting it._

“Looks like it,” his lover shrugged.

The creature looked up at the sun rising and squinted with a noise. With no more ceremony, it staggered with haste to the railing of the deck and hopped out. Little scrambled to the side of the deck just in time to see it disappear behind a small hill of ice. The two men stayed silent for a few minutes.

“I didn’t know there were mermaids in the Arctic,” said Jopson.

Edward turned to look at his lover before they burst into a hysterical fit of laughter.

After several heated discussions, it was decided they would wait for another apparition of the creature to discover its intentions. It took nearly a week to see it on the deck again at sunrise. It had brought a fish again but looked much more confident. It went immediately to Jopson and let him take the present from its mouth.

“What a good girl you are!” he cooed as he scratched it behind its fins.

It gave a pleased sound before settling its black orbs on Little.

“C’mon, Edward.”

“ _No.”_

Thomas put on his don’t-be-childish look and his lover gave in. Edward hesitantly stretched out his hand to the creature. It licked his palm. He tried his best to hide his scowl of disgust.

“She likes you.”

“Or it’s tasting me.”

“Don’t be silly. I wonder how she got here, though. Do you think she’s lost?”

Little shrugged. His eyes fell on the dead fish.

“How did it find food? None of our hunting expeditions brought back anything.”

“You like fish? You like fish, baby girl?”

“Baby talk? Thomas, for the love of God, this thing can kill you!”

“Well, I’m still alive, am I not?” and he smiled playfully.

It suddenly dawned on Little what was happening.

“No.”

“What?”

“We are _not_ keeping this thing.”

When his lover furrowed his brows in displeasure, he knew he got it right.

“She’s bringing us food.”

“What if there are others? What if they attack us?”

“Now, Edward-“

“You don’t know anything about this abomination and you want us to stash it in the storeroom to keep company to the dog? Have you lost your mind?”

“This _abomination_ , as you say, is right now our best chance to survive until we get rescued!”

The creature had grown restless during their fight and Edward’s angry snarl drew a fearful whine from its mouth.

“No, no, it’s alright baby girl. It’s alright,” soothed Jopson.

It calmed down under his attentions, which brought a fond smile to his lips. His lover sighed with dismay.

“We can’t keep it on board,” let out Edward with the tone of a man who had admitted defeat.

Thomas grinned widely as he nodded, ready for compromise now that he had had his way.

“And we must tell the captain.”

“I know but… I’m not sure he believes us.”

Crozier had not been doing well these past weeks, staying too close to his glass of whiskey for Jopson’s comfort.

“Plus that little beauty must get a name!”

Sensing the conversation was again shifting on it, the creature gurgled.

“Oh, for the love of…”

“What, do you want to us to keep calling her the abomination?” asked dryly Thomas.

Exasperated and weary, Little shrugged.

“And what do you suggest?”

His lover studied the creature for a minute before proclaiming with solemnity:

“Nancy.”

“Nancy?” repeated Little, unimpressed.

“She’s got a Nancy kind of face,” he retorted confidently, as if enouncing a verified scientific fact.

Edward shrugged wearily while his lover petted the newly christened Nancy.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty girl?” the steward cooed, while the lieutenant still hoped that somehow they were not actually keeping a half-fish creature in the middle of the Arctic.

_What you wouldn’t do for love_ , he thought with resignation.


	2. Part Two

“You haven’t slept.”

Thomas knew this was not a question. Edward knew him better than he knew himself. He closed his eyes and leaned into the hand caressing his jaw. It had been a dreadful night and Crozier had only just fallen asleep.

“Go to bed, Tom. Get some rest.”

Jopson pressed a kiss into his hand before gripping Edward’s wrist with reassurance.

“I will, my love. _You_ haven’t slept either.”

His lover stepped back, freeing himself from Jopson’s hold as he looked down, guilt stabbing him in the heart. Ever since Crozier had left him in effective command of the _Terror_ , Little had tried his best to run things as smoothly as possible but he had failed miserably. Blanky was practically doing as he pleased; the officers were asking endlessly after the captain; the men were working in semi-chaos as their orders were becoming less and less clear. There was also the accounting, the possible threat of scurvy, the inventory of the canned food to supervise… But most of all, Edward had almost not met his beloved ever since Crozier had secluded himself in his quarters.

He felt _lost_ without him.

“I-I don’t think I can do it,” he choked out, tears suddenly stinging his eyes.

Thomas gently cupped his face and raised his gaze to look into his divinely blue eyes, a tender, dimpled smile on his lips.

“There’s so much on your shoulders and you’re doing your best. You’re a good man, Edward. A good lieutenant. Captain Crozier left you in command because he knew the ship would be in good hands with you.”

Jopson wiped a stay tear with his thumb before brushing his lips against the tip of Edward’s nose.

“You’re a good man,” he said as he brought his forehead against his lover’s, “and I love you.”

Little slid his arms around him and they stayed like this, their world narrowed down to their two beating hearts. He wished he could freeze time and live only in Thomas’ eyes and smile for the rest of his life.

“What about Nancy? Did you see her?” softly asked Jopson after a while.

“Saw her four days ago. She looked fine,” he shrugged. “She keeps leaving fish and seals around the ship, though. I don’t know what to tell the men anymore.”

“At least we get to eat something else than this damn canned food.”

“Even captain Fitzjames asked me about it. If this continues, she’ll get caught.”

Little did not have the heart to say out loud the probable fate Nancy would encounter if one of the men spotted her. Thomas had a soft spot for her and he knew he would get heartbroken should something happen to the creature.

“I’ll try to meet her this week. Maybe she’ll feel less restless if she sees I’m alright.”

Edward nodded. He bit back a yawn.

“I’m going to sleep a bit before the men wake up. Do the same.”

Thomas smiled fondly before kissing his cheek.

“Yes, sir,” he said with a flicker of mischief in his blue eyes.

“How’s Crozier?” asked Fitzjames.

For all their fights and differences, the man seemed to care for the captain of the _Terror._

“Mister Jopson says he’s doing better than last week,” answered Little.

The man nodded before offering him a seat.

“Whiskey?”

“No thanks, sir.”

“Did you find anything again?”

Little nodded.

“We did, sir. There was nothing on Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday we found two seals and seven fish.”

“No sign of the beast?”

“No, sir.”

Fitzjames sighed and went to pour himself another glass.

“What do you make of it, Lieutenant Little?”

The lieutenant swallowed. What could he possibly answer? The commander had grown steadily restless and he was afraid the man decided to act. What if Fitzjames ordered a hunt? Edward cursed himself for telling the man part of the truth. He knew it happened at dawn. What if he ambushed Nancy? How would he announce that to Thomas? Oh, this would be a _catastrophe._

“I don’t think this is the beast, sir,” he answered carefully.

“Could it be the natives?”

“Mister Blanky says they don’t usually do that kind of things. Whatever it is, it… it seems to want to help us, sir.”

“I wouldn’t be so positive about that, lieutenant,” retorted Fitzjames grimly.

Either Crozier’s lieutenant was an incompetent fool, or he was lying to him. Fitzjames refused to believe the man so stupid as to take the bizarre events happening around the _Terror_ for benign incidents. Lieutenant Little had always appeared an anxious fellow to him. So why was he doing nothing?

The only logical explanation was that Little was involved in this in some way. He knew more than he let on, that much was clear to James. He had always been good at detecting liars (one had to when one wanted to rise in society). Something was going on the _Terror_. Something potentially big, James felt. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

In person.

Little had reported the incidents likely happened in the early morning, between the last watch of the night and the first of the morning. All he had to do was lie in wait. Should he take some men with him? James was loath to put his men through the cold for something he wasn’t sure of. Besides he couldn’t decently doubt the word of Lieutenant Little in public. There was enough tension between the two crews already. No, James had to go alone. He did not ignore the risks such an endeavor involved. The _Erebus_ could not afford to lose another captain. His mind ran out again to that bloodied hole in the ice where sir John had disappeared as if he had never existed, swallowed up by the greenish blue of the ice and the bottomless water. He thought of the giant prints around the ships, bigger than anything he had ever seen; he thought of the disarticulated corpses of his men, lifeless frozen ragdolls left as if the creature mocked them. He was being a fool, a great and utter fool. This could cost him his life. And yet…

Yet he had to _know._

In the small hours of the morning, he prepared himself and instructed Bridgens to alert the officers and search for him if he was not back in three hours. Armed with only a musket, James set off and took position on a small hill of ice giving him view of the _Terror_ ’s deck.

After straining his eyes to detect any potential movement in the moonlit darkness of the night for a small eternity, the sun started to peek out from the horizon. Suddenly something shiny caught his eye between the blocks of ice. His heart leaped in his throat when he saw a scaled creature drag two seals toward the ship. It left its preys to climb up to the deck, being surprisingly agile. It perched itself on the railing.

James was debating whether to take his chance and shoot it when a figure emerged on the deck. It was none other than Lieutenant Little. The surreal scene played itself before James’ eyes like a waking dream: the man petted the monster and ruffled its hair as if it was the ship’s dog.

Dear Lord. The situation was _grave._

“Nance, for God’s sake! Not on the deck!” Little chided with dismay.

Nancy was, once again, eating seal on the deck, leaving a bloody mess on the floor. Edward had tried unsuccessfully to stop her from doing this as it scared the men senseless. She stopped her obnoxious chewing to blink at him with her big, dark eyes.

“Seriously,” he went on, “the boys will scream if they see that.”

Nancy stared at him for a few seconds before resuming the consumption of her dinner. Little sighed heavily. Stepping around the bloody mess, he scratched her behind the fins. She gave a pleased sound, trying to nuzzle against him.

“Don’t you get blood on my coat, you damn thing,” Edward growled sulkily, although she seemed to pay no mind.

For a reason that escaped him, Thomas was able to have some hold over the creature. He, on the other hand, had no more authority on her than he had on Blanky.

“I know you miss Tom,” he said morosely. “I miss him too. But that’s no reason for you to leave dead animals everywhere. Captain Fitzjames will shoot you down if you keep doing that.”

Nancy gurgled, chewing merrily on the last of her prey before licking his clothed arm.

“Nance!” he protested with disgust.

As the sun started to bath the deck, Edward gave her a last pat on the head before watching her hop out and disappear in the desert of ice.

“Who’s Nancy?” croaked Crozier.

Jopson shot up so straight he was certain he had pulled something in his back. Willing his drumming heart to calm down, he composed himself and turned to the captain. He studied the man bundled up in the covers, trying to divine what he could have gathered from his conversations with Edward. Thomas had been stupidly careless, blinded by the possibility of adoring his man by day in an empty, roomy captain’s cabin rather than by night in a lieutenant’s cramped sleeping quarters.

“Nancy?” he repeated, trying to sound puzzled.

“Heard you say the name several times.”

“It’s…no one, sir.”

Jopson turned again to busy himself with wetting a new cloth. What else had the captain heard? Once again he cursed himself for his lack of caution.

“Not to you,” let out Crozier, obviously intent on prying some kind of answer from him.

“She’s…I treat her like my own flesh and blood,” he said carefully as he sat down to clean the captain’s face.

“You’re worried about her?”

“Always.”

The man gave him a weak smile. The first one in weeks.

“We’ll make it back, Jopson,” he said with a determination the steward had never seen in him. “You will see her again.”

Thomas smiled, his heart leaping as he watched life grow back in his captain.

“We’ll never see her again,” said Jopson with sorrow.

He hissed when the burning hot-water bottle pressed into the skin of his back. Edward wrapped bandages around his middle to hold it securely in place.

“Who?”

“Nancy. We’ll have to leave her here when we depart.”

Edward tied the wrappings tightly before pulling down the layers of wool.

“All done.”

“Thank you,” said Thomas with a small moan of relief as the heat was working on his stiff muscles. “I hope I can bend down tomorrow.”

His lover chuckled like a naughty schoolboy. The steward turned around carefully and gave a playful punch into his shoulder.

“You wicked man.”

“You taught me well.”

Thomas gasped in mock indignation, a dimpled grin stretching his lips. His lover’s eyes looked soft and he leaned in as much as he could to kiss him.

“I’m sure Nancy can survive on her own here,” said Edward, rubbing gently his lover’s arm.

“I’ll miss her.”

Edward sighed heavily, feeling helpless. He didn’t like seeing his Tom like that: worried, sad. Drawing him into his arms, they arranged themselves so Thomas’ back wouldn’t hurt. Edward hummed gently, feeling their heartbeats slow together.

“Oh, by the way,” mumbled Jopson with a sleep-laden voice, “I met lieutenant Irving this afternoon. He was looking for you. Apparently Captain Fitzjames wants to talk you tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”

Edward groaned.

“Probably to lecture me on the deplorable hygiene of the men or my lateness to yesterday’s meeting.”

“I hope you get a lashing,” said Thomas with small chuckle.

“Wicked man,” let out Edward against his throat, hiding his smile against the warm skin beneath his lips.

“I think I should lash you,” Fitzjames growled coldly.

Edward blinked, puzzled. He watched the man pace the empty room with growing concern.

“I do not think I understand, sir.”

“Simple,” he cut in, stopping to throw a hard glare to Little. “Bringing a potentially dangerous creature aboard without your superiors’ consent, failure to report potential threat… I’m sure you understand now.”

Edward felt the warmth drain from him, leaving him with a cold dread gripping his heart. He swallowed thickly, panic settling in him.

“I-I can explain everything! Nancy– she’s not– She isn’t dangerous. She’s trying to help us, sir!”

“You _named_ it?! Oh for the love of…”

“Sir, you have to listen to me– “

“I’ve heard enough for now. You are to remain a prisoner until I can I inform captain Crozier– “

“How about you meet her first?” asked desperately Little.

Fitzjames froze, taken aback by surprise. Edward decided to push his advantage.

“She’s friendly toward us– me. I can approach her with no problem. I can even pet her. She even brings me food. I don’t think she’d hurt anyone, sir.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he answered with a confidence he didn’t have. “It is too late now. But tomorrow, sir, if you allow it, I’ll show you Nancy.”

“You have lost your mind, Lieutenant Little!”

“For the first time since we have been stuck in the ice, the men are eating fresh meat at least once a week. We’re even starting to store some. Doctor Goodsir even believe the fresh meat might be a good way to fight the scurvy.”

He watched Fitzjames pace the room with anticipation. At this point, if his attempt failed, the only thing he could do was keeping Thomas out of this. He’d have to find a way to stop him from doing something stupid. He knew his lover better than he knew himself. Thomas could be capable of defending him, or worse–

“If, and I say _if_ , this…thing is as harmless as you say it is, then you won’t have any objection to doctor Goodsir being present.”

“Indeed, sir,” breathed Edward with a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

The wait was agony, pure agony. Edward was half hoping Nancy wouldn’t show up and yet fervently praying for her to appear at the first ray of sunshine. Doctor Goodsir had patted his shoulder with sympathy on their journey back to the _Terror_. The man had looked only intrigued by the notion of meeting another extraordinary creature, and Edward had marveled that this man was much braver than his frail appearance let on. Fitzjames, on the other hand, had looked nothing but hostile. He had insisted on bringing a musket with him and had declared himself ready to fire on the creature should it show the barest hint of threat toward them.

When the sun peeked out from the horizon, Edward’s heart started to beat like a drum. Not two minutes later, he heard the wood groan unusually. Here was Nancy, perching herself on the railing, blinking her black orbs, a big fish in her mouth. None of the men moved for a few seconds. Then Fitzjames let out a curse under his breath. Feeling a rush of adrenalin, Edward strode over to Nancy, a nervous smile on his face.

“Hey, baby girl,” he cooed shakily.

He scratched her behind the fins. Nancy gave a pleased noise, but her attention quickly went to Fitzjames and Goodsir. The _Erebus_ captain tightened his grip on his musket.

“I’ve brought friends today,” Little said in a falsely light tone. “Be nice with them. Yes, Nance?”

Nancy’s fins shuddered visibly, and she hopped down, staring at the two men with obvious interest. Goodsir slowly crouched down, fascinated. He looked up at the lieutenant.

“Can I– Can I pet her?”

Edward nodded, throat tight with apprehension. He had no hold over Nancy, unlike Thomas. If she decided to become hostile, he could do nothing to stop her. He watched doctor Goodsir extend slowly his hand as she gave a questioning noise. The surgeon scratched her behind the fins, just like Edward did a minute ago, and Nancy hummed in delight. Goodsir grew more confident and, under the pretense of petting her jaw, examined her with undisguised interest. Soon enough though, her black orbs turned to Fitzjames. Edward watched him swallow, finger on the trigger. Nancy approached him slowly, darting out glances back and forth between Edward and Fitzjames. She observed the _Erebus_ captain cautiously, staggering toward him as if she would turn back and flee at any instant. Fitzjames made no move, observing her with something akin to nervousness. Nancy stopped in her tracks and took the fish out of her mouth before offering it to him. When he did not react, she let out a shrill and shook it in front of him.

“She’s offering you the fish, sir,” said Edward when he saw Fitzjames about to point his gun at her.

He looked sharply at the lieutenant, piercing eyes boring into his. The lieutenant nodded, trying to smile confidently. The commander then slowly extended a hand to take the present, scanning the creature for any sign of danger. Nancy made a high-pitched noise of delight and leaned forward to lick a wide stripe over Fitzjames’ arm.

“Oh, dear _God_ ,” muttered the captain, nose wrinkling in disgust.

Oblivious to his revulsion, Nancy staggered joyously back to Edward, nuzzling his leg and licking his coat. When the sun started to reflect almost unbearably on her scaled skin, she blinked toward the horizon and, as if realizing she was late to an appointment, proceeded to hastily hop out of the deck with no regard for the three men. Silence stretched between them.

“So,” Edward said stupidly, “that was Nancy.”

“She’s quite friendly toward us,” answered doctor Goodsir as he rose, although the lieutenant felt it was said more for Fitzjames’ sake than his.

The captain, for his part, simply let out a sound curse as if he had just been announced he had been awarded the rank of admiral.

A grand old mess, it had been. Well, that was Thomas’ words because Edward personally used the term _apocalypse_ to describe the aftermath of that most tensed encounter. Fitzjames had insisted to announce the news to the men, which of course had raised panic and alarm. He had also wanted to announce the news to Crozier but Thomas had valiantly stood his ground, and it had been decided to wait for the captain to get better. In the meantime, Edward had to deter the men from shooting Nancy on sight, especially the Marines. The first encounters with the crew had been stressful both for her and the lieutenant. Edward especially remembered the piercing high-pitched scream one of the ship’s boys had emitted when Nancy had had the bad idea of licking his face. Fortunately, things were starting to work out. Doctor Goodsir’s assurances that the creature would not harm them had done a lot for the men’s growing acceptance of Nancy. That and the fresh meat they could now eat on a regular basis. Edward was finally feeling like things were starting to work out. For the first time, he actually was thankful to have met Nancy (not that he would admit that to Thomas anytime soon; he hated it when the steward put on his I-told-you face).

For the first time since his arrival here, England didn’t look so far away anymore.


End file.
